The Division Beta: Start Preloading Right Now

By Dalton Cooper 30 November -1

Those interested in participating in Tom Clancy’s The Division‘s open beta as soon as it goes live can beginning downloading the beta now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

If the excitement surrounding the closed beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division is any indication, people are more than ready to get their hands on the game. Its full release isn’t until March 8th, but Ubisoft is giving everyone another chance to try The Division before buying, with an open beta scheduled begin February 18th for Xbox One owners, and the next day for those playing on PC and PlayStation 4. Gamers that want to jump into this beta as soon as it starts should know that the beta is available for pre-loading now.

Those that participated in the previous Division beta and still have the beta client installed won’t have to bother downloading a new one. Instead there will be a 1.6GB patch, which will add new content to the open beta, including a Tech story mission that will allow players to expand the operation center further and earn a new skill.

It looks like the Dark Zone PvP area will be tweaked quite as a bit as well in the open beta. For example, players will no longer go rogue simply by shooting another player a single time. On the contrary, a certain amount of damage must be reached before players will be turned rogue. The reward for surviving while rogue has also been increased, seemingly in an effort to encourage more players to kill each other while in the Dark Zone.

Anyone going from the closed beta to the open beta will notice other Dark Zone changes as well. It will now be populated by more AI-controlled enemies than it was in the previous beta, and players will also be able to purchase legendary-tier weapons from Dark Zone venders.

Even though character progress from the closed beta will not carry over to the open beta, these Dark Zone tweaks along with the other new content in the open beta should make it worth revisiting ahead of the game’s proper launch next month. Since even more players will have access to it than before, it will be interesting to see how well the servers hold up, and if players will be able to surpass the impressive stats from the first Division beta.

Will you be playing the open beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division? Did you play the previous beta at all? Do you plan on buying the full game after it becomes available on March 8th? Sound off in the comments below and leave us your thoughts on Tom Clancy’s The Division.

Tom Clancy’s The Division will be available on March 8th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The open beta for the game runs from February 18th to February 21st on Xbox One, and February 19th to February 21st on PC and PS4.